How Slater changed the game

Share on social media

Craig Bellamy prides himself on analysing every detail of opposition teams. But there is one person at Melbourne Storm that studies even more video footage than the head coach – Billy Slater.

"By a mile," Bellamy told NRL.com.

With Tuesday's news that Slater will retire from representative football, ahead of him reaching the State of Origin '30 Club' on home turf at the MCG next Wednesday, Bellamy explained how and why his No.1 changed the way fullbacks play.

But he also stressed his own coaching future – he's off contract this year and both Storm and the Broncos are offering multi-million dollar deals – would not influence whether Slater continued on for Melbourne in 2019.

"No way. We haven't talked about that at all," Bellamy said, revealing that Slater came to him in Townsville before last week's round 12 match against the Cowboys to tell him of his decision to call it a day for Queensland and Australia.

"I don't know if he'll play on [at the Storm]. I don't think he does just yet either.

"I think the Origin decision has taken up the majority of his thinking so far."

But Bellamy thinks Slater would make the perfect coaching consultant, similar to what the Johns brothers Matthew and Andrew do with various clubs and individual players.

"He's a big part of our club family and I don't think he'll disappear out of the Storm."

Slater's arrival in Melbourne for the 2003 pre-season left a real impression on Bellamy.

"He's one of the great students I've ever had," he said.

"Obviously the coaching staff helped him along the way but he constantly watched other fullbacks, other games a lot more than other players would.

"And a lot of his learning has been self-taught by how much work he put in. He still watches all the videos over and over.